Luke 8:46Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What do Your words signify, O Lord? Did You not come so that Your own might be laid bare? Did You not willingly allow Your kingdom to be ‘taken away’ by the faithful? How can You inquire about what You already understand, or seek what You already know? If the power that flowed from You was taken against Your will, it would have been within Your ability to withhold it; and if the taking occurred with Your consent, what else could You find displeasing, having granted what faith reaches out for from You? You have provided healing without request, and having already conferred it, do You now question it? You healed in secret, and after the healing You seek an explanation?

"I sensed the authority that flowed from Me." He speaks truly. The prophets did not possess power of their own; they were agents of God's grace who accomplished wonders. However, Jesus, as the Origin of all goodness and all might, inherently possesses the power that emanates from Himself.

He reveals what has transpired, declaring, ‘Someone has touched Me, for I know that power comes forth from Me.’ Was it out of a desire for glory that the Lord permitted this demonstration of His divine work—the miracle granted to the woman—to be hidden? We do not assert this; rather, we maintain that it was revealed for the sake of fostering the welfare of those who are called to grace through faith. Hiding this miracle would have been detrimental, but its revelation significantly benefited many individuals, particularly the leader of the synagogue. It instilled hope in him and gave him a strong conviction that Christ would rescue his daughter from the clutches of death. This, in itself, is a matter for our admiration.

We do not approach Christ through our physical steps but rather through faith, as it is not the movement of our bodies that matters, but rather the intention of our hearts. This is exemplified by the woman who grasped the edge of His robe; her faith connected her to Him in a way that surpassed the throngs who surrounded Him. Thus, the Lord inquired, Who touched Me? The disciples, surprised, responded, The crowd is all around You and is pressing in, yet You ask, Who touched Me? He reaffirmed, Someone has touched Me (see Luke 8:44-46). The woman reached out in faith, while the crowd was simply jostling around. What does ‘touched’ signify if not ‘believed’?

When Simon informed the Lord of the large crowd approaching Him, the Lord replied that among them all, only one truly came forth. Although many were pressing in on Him, it was only one who emerged at that moment, weighed down by anguish. Simon aimed to highlight the physical approach of the throng, yet the Lord redirected his focus to the faith that sought Him. It is significant that out of the numerous individuals who drew near, only one was truly desired. Thus, if all gathered but one was sought after, it is evident that He recognized those who were surrounding Him, for certainly, not a single person in that multitude could have escaped His notice. "I know that someone has touched Me." Why did He not openly identify the one who had made contact?

It is not merely those who profess belief that gather around; it is those who reach out in faith that truly believe! They connect with Christ through their faith, for to behold Christ is to perceive by faith. Those who physically see yet do not truly see, and those who hear but do not comprehend, are reflected in the words of Matthew 13:13. Likewise, without faith, any act of reaching out remains unfulfilled. To reveal the faith of the woman who approached Him, He proclaimed: Someone touched Me, for I felt the power that went out from Me (Luke 8:46). This indicates that the limitations of human existence and our physical form do not obscure divine Wisdom, nor do they restrict the nature of God by its material confines.

But Jesus declared, “Someone has touched Me.” The woman, still frightened and hesitant to admit the truth, remained silent. He continued to ask, “Someone has touched Me,” with the intention that His persistent inquiry would encourage her to openly share her experience and testify to the miracle. For I sensed the healing power that had flowed from Me, a miraculous energy released through the woman's faith. Nonetheless, He stated this to make it clear that He was fully aware of who had reached out to Him. As noted in Mark, “He looked around to see who had done it” (Mark 5:32).

When salves, remedies, and dressings are applied to a body, they release a form of healing essence—subtle and unseen—that penetrates the flesh and brings about restoration. The fringe of the garment worn by the Lord Jesus possessed no inherent healing force, yet healing essence emanated from it, entering the afflicted woman’s frail state through her touch. Thus, when it is said, "I am the power that came out of me," do not assume that this is a material force emanating from Jesus Christ’s garment that healed the bleeding woman; rather, understand that Jesus, as the Creator of hearts, recognizing her faith and the contact with His robe, healed her by His omnipotent grace.

All the afflicted seek to make contact with His garments; among them was a woman suffering from a continual flow of blood, who reached out and found healing. Realizing she was cured, she contemplated remaining hidden. However, instead of hastily approaching the healed woman, Jesus paused, turned to the crowd, and inquired, ‘Who touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me?’ He scanned the crowd, and ultimately, the woman, recognizing that concealment was impossible, fell at His feet and shared her entire story. Jesus praised her faith, declaring, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.’ What was the purpose of this? Did He, who instructed the demons not to reveal His identity, seek accolades for Himself? The Savior acted to bolster Jairus' faith.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jairus informs Jesus that his daughter has died (ετελέυτησεν v. 18) and asks Him for her resurrection. However, in the Gospels of Mark (εσχάτως έχει v. 23) and Luke (αυτη άπεθνισκεν v. 42), she is described as merely being at the point of death, indicating that Jairus initially sought the Lord’s intervention for her healing; he received the sad news of her passing later on. Given the context of the ailing woman’s circumstances and Jairus’s emotional state, it seems likely that his statement was not conveyed with absolute clarity; he likely intended to express that his daughter was in the throes of death when he departed and may now have passed away.

The woman suffering from illness reached out and touched Jesus, and she was instantly healed. This healing was, of course, through the will of Jesus Christ. Although she had received her healing and preferred to remain anonymous, her faith was so profound that it deserved to be acknowledged. Thus, Christ sought to reveal who had touched Him—this was essential for enhancing the budding faith of Jairus, who was soon to learn the distressing news that his daughter had passed away. Though Christ certainly knew who had reached out to Him, He chose a different approach.

Though the moment went unnoticed by those around Him, Christ was fully aware. Sensing that His healing virtue had been drawn from Him, He paused and inquired, “Who touched My garment?” The apostle Peter, perplexed by the situation, remarked that amidst such a throng it was hard to identify the one who had reached out. Yet, through this question, the Savior sought to draw out a response from the individual who, having experienced the incredible generosity of the Lord, sought refuge in Christ the Healer while wishing to remain inconspicuous.

The Lord's return from the region of the Gerasenes includes Jairus' plea, the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage, and the resurrection of Jairus' daughter. Luke's narrative is remarkably similar to Mark's account (Mark 5:21-43). In contrast, Matthew presents these occurrences in a more concise manner, yet they retain a similar essence (Matthew 9:18-26). For further context, refer to the notes on the specified passages. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, it is noted that the people welcomed Him with joy and affection. When the Savior states, "I felt the power go out," this expression is not meant to imply that His healing ability left Him unknowingly to heal the woman. Rather, it serves to highlight her act in front of everyone and to set an example of her faith for others to observe.

Peter, along with the other disciples, addressed Him, saying, “Teacher, look at the crowd pressing around You,” and asking, “Who touched Me?” In response, the Lord affirmed, “Someone touched Me, for I felt power go out from Me.” According to Blessed Theophylact’s interpretation, this power is given to others while simultaneously remaining within Christ without any loss. The woman, filled with fear and trembling, recognizing that she could not hide her miracle, approached Him, fell at His feet, and shared the entire truth about her situation, including why she had reached out to Him and how she had been healed instantly.